2546/Uncle Eddie and the Princess

Uncle Eddie and the Princess
Date of Scene:	21 July 2020
Location:	Chelsea
Synopsis:	Pretenses in the diner are dropped. Venom and Mania meet.
Cast of Characters:	Eddie Brock, Andi Benton

---

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock leads the pair of them into a nearby empty alley and, when they get there, leaps higher than a normal human should be able, landing on the dangling ladder of a fire escape above. He hooks his legs from it and hangs upside down as his eyes go full-dark again, voices mingling once more, although he doesn't indulge a full transformation yet.

"We mean you no harm," they say in chorus. "We just didn't know there were any others like us around. If you are like us. But we feel a kinship. A bond. Family," he says, with that toothy smile once more. "We've been pretty lonely the last months."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton wasted no time making her way to the rooftop, but in doing so she never took her eyes off of Eddie for one moment. Just seeing him leaping the way he does is all she needs for further confirmation of what she's dealing with, of what they're dealing with. The Wolf Spider is not the only other one out there.

Perhaps that's a reason why she's handled this the way she has so far. Whether it stays that way or not depends on what happens next.

Atop the building, they are out of sight of anyone below. It doesn't mean she gives away the truth just yet, but she crosses her arms defensively and stands a little off to one side of the center of the roof, watching him intently. "Family?" she asks pointedly, as if finding the idea a foreign one at the moment.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock springs the rest of the way up, landing easily on his feet. He's clearly physically more at ease now that he doesn't have to hold back, some of the darkness rippling along the veins of his arms like living tattoos.

"Something like that. Our dark passengers, they come from the same place, one way or another. Can't be any other way. Somewhere up there," Eddie says, pointing towards the stars. "Not that it matters much. What matters is we're here now. And we're very glad to meet you. We call ourselves...Venom." he says, half of his face engulfed and taking on the visage of the beast, monstrous jagged teeth and a slash of an eye floating on black ink.

Andi Benton has posed:
"There was a meteor," Andi reveals, without going into all the details that led to her encountering the one she did, without sharing what led to the bond being established. She is not nearly as old as Eddie, maybe only half his age or so. That means the bond could happen to anyone. Anyone..suitable.

She wills her 'dark passenger' to remain hidden for the moment, though as soon as the signs of Venom are shown to her there is a rush of something she feels, a surge of adrenaline, an urge to do...something. The partial covering of his face? Very familiar. The flow of that inky black substance? Same thing.

Andi draws in a breath, wetting her lips quickly. Yeah, she's nervous, but she does have her 'friend' to help keep her steady. "It..we..want you to see..to see us.." she admits.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock feels almost like a voyeur, as if there were something illicit in this, but the creature nods eagerly. They remain that split-visage, Eddie sinking into a crouch.

"We want to see," they say together. "Ours was a prisoner, captured by the government, until Eddie came along. He wanted to expose them but instead we became our own secret."

Andi Benton has posed:
There is something in there that is exhilarating. Only a select few know Andi's secret. They can be counted on one hand and have room left over for extras. "So..were we. It. Captured. Experimented on. Tortured. It sensed me, then..then I had to leave, but my father was..was captured to get me to go back."

She pauses, and the familiar rippling of that dark substance flows out from behind her head, tendrils swarming, blending together, solidifying. It maintains the size and shape of the girl and those eyes take shape, practically a carbon copy of Venom's, but for the moment there is no sign of a mouth, little to no facial definition at all. A few chunks of spiky 'hair' form, along with a few spikes at forearms and shins, which appear to be part of some sort of natural gauntlets and protective guards. Thick-soled boots. A loose belt around the hips, also with spikes. No insignia at the chest or back.

Arms remain crossed and she speaks in that unified voice, though there is no real movement at the mouth. "Spider-Man helped. We are Mania."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock gives a little shiver of his own, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. That transformation draws his attention and, moments later, Venom decide to share their own true form.

The darkness ripples over them both and piles on top of one another, stretching the meat of Eddie's frame and making him bigger, taller, broad shouldered. His head is consumed by the remainder of the jaw, open wide to show the thrashing tonge and his endless maw of teeth, snapping them together for a moment as hands form into claws. Tendrils and whisps wriggle around the surface of Venom, roiling and alive.

"We have not met this Spider-Man. But we are glad that he helped you. We are glad we are not alone."

Andi Benton has posed:
The Venom form seems more..primal than Mania's, but there are similarities. The eyes, already noted. Claws, as well. Differences include his larger bulk, more than what Eddie alone possessed. The mouth is another, at least in their default forms. She looks much less menacing on the surface, aside from the spiked areas. And, there is an oddly familiar marking he sports, perhaps..inspired by something else? She does not ask about it, however.

The almost feral way Venom carries himself, while intimidating enough to most to probably have them running or wetting themselves at some point, leads to Mania taking a half-step back before she stops herself. "We are never alone, but we..understand what you mean. Mine..almost attacked back there. It was worried. Still kind of is." The voice fluctuates slightly between being both and just her own. Her eyes expressively flash from surprise to doubt, then to a hint of curiosity.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Venom emits a dark chuckle, "We understand. We have a rather terrifying presence," they say. That tongue slips out, serpentine and prehensilve, flicking over the glistening surface of those needle-sharp teeth, breath coming out in a steamy huff.

"The city is large and we are only two. Plenty of prey for us to have, no need to fight over scrapssssssssss," he says, teeth clicking together on the word. "We don't mean you any harm. S'long as you don't mean us any harm, of course."

Andi Benton has posed:
Faced with this version of a symbiote and host, it gives Mania reason to pause. A good thing for her, perhaps. She sees in Venom something she could be, but the question she'll have to answer sometime or another is simple: is that what she wants to be?

"We know how to intimidate," she says, and in that moment her own more feral appearance is allowed to come out, the face morphing to reveal a similar visage to his own with those sharp, pointed teeth, that lengthened tongue. Then, she draws it back and it goes away once more.

Arms cross again, hands wrapping around opposing elbows. "We..don't know what you mean," she answers, doubt and uncertainty in those eyes. Truth, or lie?

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock seems to grin even wider, "We like it!" Venom says in response to that violent expression, "We knew you had it in you, but we understand wanting a more...sleek design."

Venom settles into a simple crouch, almost bestial, resembling nothing so much as the hellhounds from Ghostbusters. "We mean that we should have respect for each other. We hunt as we like, you hunt as you like. No need for conflict, no need to fight. You mentioned this Spider-Man, he's a...hero, yes?" Venom asks, cocking his head as his tongue seems to have a mind of its own, roaming over their face. "Do you want to walk in his footsteps?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania's appearance certainly accomplishes a more streamlined version of Venom, but to the unaware they could be siblings.

In fact, that is far, far closer to the truth than anyone else might know. Eddie and Andi might not even know for certain, yet.

Eerie as Venom's fangy, slobbery grin is, it doesn't really faze Mania when she has the ability to do the same thing. She explains, watching him intently, "We get the feeling we don't..hunt..exactly the same way you do. The spider /is/ a hero, yes. He..has helped us. Helped save us, helped give us the chance to survive together. We owe him for that, at least." Her head angles toward one side and she paces back and forth. Got to move just to deal with some of that amped-up feeling, emotions running strong within, the symbiote enjoying that side of things even while keeping a wary focus on the bigger one.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock gives a shrug, a ripple of mass in its length around the shoulders, "Isn't one of the joys of being what we are doing as we please? Are you..restraining yourselves? Or perhaps you are more peaceful than we are by nature. Eddie already had a great deal of...anger to deal with. We give him an opportunity to express it together. Usually violently and at the expense of those who do harm to others. Or piss us off. Or get in our way," Venom laughs.

Andi Benton has posed:
"We..almost did a thing," Mania says, cutting herself off before going into further detail. Might be there's a part of her that doesn't want Venom to know. Might be that part of her thinks he'd encourage more of it.

The smaller of the two hops up to sit on an HVAC unit, legs allowed to dangle over the edge of it. "What are you trying to tell us?" she asks, putting the ball back in his court.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock skitters forward a little, "Did a thing? What does that mean? Do tell us, we love stories, we're on the very edge of our seat!" Venom says, that tongue dripping saliva in their wake.

"We are simply telling you what we are. We are Venom and we do as we please. Sometimes people get hurt. Sometimes they get more than hurt. And we like it that way. And we don't want -you-, our newest and dearest little niece, getting squeamish about it, yes?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania holds up a clawed finger. "We did not mean it when we called you 'uncle,' so..don't with the niece thing. All right?" She gets bristly enough that those spikes along the arms and legs fan out a little, akin to the way skin gets when it gets goosebumps.

"The spider told us that power comes with responsibility," she adds, going on to say, "We want to do the right thing, but sometimes we..have desires. We only want to make people pay who deserve it."

The eyes take on a furrowed look to them, squinting, narrowed slits.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock cocks their head, "Awwww, we kind of liked that. At least we didn't try to make you call us Daddy. Some girls are into that, we hear," Venom laughs.

"Sounds like a sopping wet downer of a philosophy to ussssssss, Mania," Venom says. "We think indulging your desires now and then is quite a bit of fun. Which is why we do it all the time and if we're a little excessive now and then, well, now, that's what towels are for, to clean up life's little messes."

Andi Benton has posed:
"We don't do the daddy thing," comes a firm answer before a chill is felt down the back of Mania's spine. She's trying to be careful in what she says and lets out, but even now there is a part of her that tugs in the other direction.

//He is right. Sometimes it is good to remind others what we can do.//

Reaching up to rub the side of her face, still featureless except for the eyes, she diverts her focus toward something in the distance, or nothing at all. She is otherwise silent, giving Venom the opening to continue along his particular brand of logic or not.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock takes a seat next to her, "We cannot help but be what we are. We are not creatures of civilization, not...sheep that roam safely through the meadow. We are wolves of the night, sharp of teeth and leaving red spatters in our wake. We are the beasts under the bed and the clickety-clack monsters behind the closet doors."

"Trying to be...good," Venom snorts in disgust, "Will only make you pent up and miserable. And dangerous. Because sometime you're going to slip up and then it's the head of someone you like that ends up in your belly."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania's hands grip at the edge of the HVAC unit, one to either side of her, and it's a good thing only the eyes stand out because it isn't hard to picture a frown in that mouth of hers, if only she allowed it to be seen. She adjusts position, an extra inch or two of space created under the guise of settling herself.

"We..we don't do that kind of thing," she insists, but the voice is more hers than theirs.

//But we can, if you let us.//

The other voice attempts to convince, to coax. Doubt remains prominent in the eyes, turning upward just enough to give the impression of someone looking down, struggling with internal thought.

//You have felt it. Remember the gang. We were going to make them pay for what they almost did.//

"B-be quiet.." she says, voice lower.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock isn't going to help, at least in terms of resisting the urge.

"Why?" they say simply. "Because of Spider-Man? It's not because they don't deserve it. So many of them deserve it," Venom spits.

"Why shouldn't you get to take a little pleasure in dishing out much deserved punishment? We could even hunt with you a bit, if you like. It could be so much fun," Venom says, almost lusty in the tone of their voice.

Andi Benton has posed:
That other voice Andi hears is not bad, not evil. It does want the best for her, but it also has its own urges, desires, and needs. There have already been moments where it sought to push certain thoughts and emotions, to make them stronger, but it isn't something she's been aware of or understood yet. She only knows a little of what the symbiote truly is, or is capable of, in spite of what they've experienced so far.

Hearing this from Venom throws a wrench into the mix, creates a sliver of an opening for other thoughts to seep in. "I'm not..like that," she says, and for the moment the mouth does form. It does sculpt into a frown, further enhancing the downcast look in her eyes as she wraps her arms around herself again. "I've never killed anyone. I almost did, but I didn't."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock puts a massive, clawed hand gently on her shoulder, making sure not to seem threatening or provoking. "You do not have to feel guilty. You are what you are. Tormenting yourself will only make things worse. We....Eddie repressed things for a long time. It only made him hurt. Now he is free in us. Now we don't have to be afraid of anyone. Now we are the ones who can make -them- afraid," he says. "And let me tell you, Mania, making them afraid feels very, very good."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania ducks away from the touch as soon as contact is made, and after she's hopped away from the big metallic box, her expression turns toward something just a little more aggressive, the shape of her mouth more familiar to Venom.

"Don't touch us," she starts out with. "You think you know us, and maybe..maybe part of you does, but you don't. You know you, and we know us, and..and..."

There's a moment where her own form shivers and shimmers, as if the symbiote is roiling within her as her emotions grow stronger. Mania is just drinking it up, no doubt encouraging it. "How long..is a long time? Why did it hurt? We don't understand." Her stance shifts into a crouch, causing more of a feral demeanor to show. Just how new to this /is/ she?

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock sets its claw down and represses the urge to react negatively. To spit hate and anger. That's what he does so much, after all, but that is part of why they are alone.

"You are right. We should not have...touched," Venom says, turning away. "Because when you have so much anger and so much urge to hurt, you do it to yourself. You hurt yourself so you don't hurt anyone else but then they keep pushing you around and shoving you down and all you want to do is lash out and make them scream and bleed and break, until you want to feel them gush between your teeth as you tear the flesh from their petty human bones and suck the marrow from the core..." he snarls, saliva dripping from their jaw as they speak.

"And that was for Eddie. A mere human. Imagine what it is like for us, who have these...appetites," Venom says. "Trying to play hero will only drive you mad."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi is skittish. Mania is as well, but there is an undercurrent of anticipation. The symbiotes are what they are, whether benevolent or not. Up to this point, she has not had any reason to think the symbiote was anything but a healthy bond. She finally had someone, or something that was intimate with her in a deeper way nobody else could understand when it came to knowing what was in her head. Bonding to an alien entity will do that. It can sense what she feels, seek to find ways to leave her feeling better while at the same time drawing some benefit for itself without causing her harm.

But, she doesn't /truly/ know what it wants for her, or for itself. She'd assumed, so far, that it wanted good for her, but had not thought about the methods or ways that result might be reached. "We..I'm just..I'm not close to many people. Maybe that's part of why all of this is the way it is. Mania needed me, and I needed Mania. We needed..us." But now what? What comes next?

"Sometimes we have these cravings, and I end up eating a whole lot of chocolate," she reveals. This should be no surprise to Venom, if the symbiotes come from the same point of origin and share the same things. However, their own makeups could differ. Venom seems much more aggressive, feral, but how much of that is because of it? How much of that is because of Eddie?

How does that fit with Andi and Mania? "I've had dreams, though."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock nods, "Chocolate works. Meat, too, especially raw meat. At least for us. We are the first bondings, as far as we know, of our kind. Some things will be different. Some the same. We have a fondnes for sushi and seafood, for example. We once ate an entire buffet of lobsters. Some of them whole."

"Dreams are where you can talk. Bond. Find each other," Venom says. "We have been together for a year. The bond took some time getting used to. We do not know, but we think you might be...newer?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania unknowingly begins to drool just after sushi is brought up. The expression turns toward one of craving before she realizes what she's doing. In the next moment, all signs of that mouth, teeth, and tongue disappear again and she's back to just the eyes and body language giving away anything about her feelings. She remains in a crouch.

"We can't argue with meat," she admits, her head angling toward one side again in a distinctly animalistic fashion, as if seeing something brand new and mysterious yet fascinating. "And the dreams..up there." She glances skyward, then back down. "Everywhere. Feel closer. It's only been..about two months now." The fingers of one hand flex, a claw trailing along the rooftop in front of her.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock nods, "Embrace each other. Find your way, just as we have found ours. THen, we think, you will understand. And we will help, if we can," Venom says.

"Do not let those who don't understand you judge. Not even this...Spider-Man. He cannot know what you feel. What you are. We can."

Andi Benton has posed:
Furrowed brows return. Mania's moments of high indecision fade toward something more under control again, not for nothing either with some of the ways Venom has been describing things to her. "We are still learning about ourselves," she explains. "Not ready to do more than that right now."

While there's a bristling to her body language again - Mania must admire Spider-Man if that comes up just from Venom saying what he does about the Wallcrawler - the creature confesses, "We will have to see. It's time for us to go. We will see you..Venom."

Turning toward the south, there is one last thing she does that the other one may or may not be surprised from. Organic, symbiote-formed webbing is fired from the backs of her hands in the direction of a taller building, leading to her swinging away from the rooftop. She pulls herself forward, casting more webbing ahead of her.

Just like Spider-Man.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock watches the silhouette disappearing and cracks their neck, Venom feeling both hopeful and frustrated at the same time. They move rapidly, more leaping from roof to roof in a parkour fashion, less wallcrawler than rampant beast on the loose.

<<Do you think she'll...?>>
//WE AREN'T SURE. WE LIKE HER. SHE HAS SPIRIT. WE HOPE WE DON'T HAVE TO EAT HER.//
<<You've never minded eating anyone before, but...I agree. Kid's in deep, gotta be rough.>>
//YOU...CARE?//
<<Part of me does.>>
//AND THE REST OF US?//
<<...let's just hope she plays along.>>